NBC, Notre Dame extend television partnership through 2025

NBC and Notre Dame have renewed their television partnership for 10 more years, through the 2025 season. The extension will bring the partnership to 35 years, the network announced on Thursday.

The new deal begins during the 2016 campaign and gives NBC rights to a minimum of seven Notre Dame home games per season. NBC Sports Digital will continue to live stream Irish home games, as the network has since 2009.

“While our relationship with NBC Sports is longstanding, the more recent merger between NBC and Comcast has opened up additional avenues to expand the breadth of Notre Dame-related sports programming on NBC platforms,” said Notre Dame vice president and athletics director Jack Swarbrick. “Specifically, the evolution of the NBC Sports Network has provided opportunities for special programming featuring inside looks at our football team and several other Notre Dame sports programs and in-depth profiles on the unsung heroes of Notre Dame athletics. These are examples of the growth of our partnership, and we look forward to collaborating on additional projects and distribution strategies in seasons to come.”

The school and the network first kicked off the partnership in 1991, when NBC began televising Irish home games. Revenues from the NBC contract have played a large role in Notre Dame's scholarship fund, having provided more than 6,300 Irish undergraduate students with nearly $80 million in financial aid over the duration of the deal.